Iron Children
by Wetstar
Summary: A series of oneshots about unnamed tributes who died in the Hunger Games.
1. Just in case

I let go of Gaby's hand. "I'll see you after the Reaping, okay?"

Gaby shrugs. She's still annoyed that I'm planning on volunteering. I'm even having a few doubts about it, but I'm eighteen, so it's now or never.

I glance towards the eighteen year old boys section. Everyone knows Alexander's planning on volunteering. He's annoying occasionally, but is usually fairly nice, and he's a good fighter. He'd make a good district partner.

Rousie Haillen, our escort from the Capitol steps up to the microphone. "Hello District Four! Are we ready to meet our newest tributes?" Everyone cheers.

Rousie pulls a name from the girls' Reaping ball. "Gabriella-" I don't wait to hear the full name. I have no choice now, just in case it's her.

"I VOLUNTEER!"

Rousie grins at me. "Well come up then dear!" I walk onto stage. "And what would your name be?"

"Katriena Lake." And in that moment, staring out across District Four, I know it. I'm supposed to do this. I'm meant to win the 55th Hunger Games.

**Explanation time! So, this is a story of oneshots, about my OCs that die during the Games and/or rebellion. Mostly Games. So um, yeah, Katriena doesn't win the 55th Games. She's killed by the boy from Eight on day 18. Anyways, this will be different people's POVs on things that happen in the Games, sneak peeks, stuff that's happening at home while the Games are going on, etc, etc. You can request anything, and they'll be lots of stuff with the tributes from the 55th and 49th Hunger Games, as well as a few others. The title of this story is named after the song "Iron Children" which was actually written about THG. Go check it out if you haven't heard it yet. :) Oh, and some chapters will be short like this one, and some will be longer. It depends on what's happening in them. **


	2. 77 times

When you're little, you're told being eighteen's the best thing in the world. You only have one year left in the Reaping, and then it's home free. It's an amazing feeling they say. Walking into the square knowing that it's your last year of worry.

Let me tell you what's not an amazing feeling.

Walking into the square _knowing _there's no possible way your name could _not _be the one called out, since your name's in the bowl 77 times. That's right. 77 times. Seventy-seven times. Seven Seven times. However you want to spell or say it, there's no way that my name's not going to be the one called out today. And even if it's not, I have seven younger siblings to worry about. Of course they're not all in the Reaping yet, but they will be one day. And every year I'll be worried about them.

77 times. 77 times. There's no way I'm going back home. I'll either return in a wooden box, or move to the Victor's Village. I like the second option better, but I know it's very unlikely.

I take my spot with the other eighteen year olds, knowing there's no way that at the end of the day I _won't _be the newest tribute to be condemned to death. Most of the other eighteen year olds have their name in 7 times, if they're lucky. But they don't think they're so lucky. In fact, I can hear a few of them complaining right now. The rich kids. Lucky bastards. Never having to know what it's like to come home to seven tiny faces hoping you've managed to scrape up a bit of extra cash so they won't have to live off tesserae and stale food for the next month.

The name's drawn. "Matthew Brown!"

Yep, there it is. I knew it. Only 76 slips left in there now. And now, I'm heading to the stage to accept my fate as the male tribute for District Three in the 55th Hunger Games.

**Anyone recognize him? He's from At Second Glance. Thank you for the wonderful reviews and support for the first chapter! And Kate: It wasn't too long a wait to find out, was it? **


	3. Their pasts

**This is sort of a "blast to the past" chapter, showing what some of the 55th Hunger Games tributes were like during the 49th Hunger Games, through the eyes of people who know them. Enjoy!**

_~District One~_

Aurora throws the knife at the target, smirking as it hits close to the center. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I would much rather be at home, willing my sister through the Games, but that's not an option. Aurora practically dragged me to training, talking about how she has to be ready to volunteer when she's eighteen, and I'll have to volunteer as well to prove I'm as good as my sister. I don't get why she's freaking out. She's twelve, and she's already amazing at knives. By the time she's eighteen, she'll be able to volunteer and win with no problem.

"Dove! Get over here! You have to practise too!"

I sigh and head over, sending a lingering glance at the bows and arrows that I'd rather be using. But Aurora's my best friend, and if she wants me to help her train with knives, I'll help her train with knives.

_~District Three~_

"Come on, come on..." Matt's eyes are fixed on the TV set, willing Ras to run faster.

"It's the bloodbath, why would anyone chase him?" I ask my brother.

"Even though he's in the forest, he's still not safe," he explains, not taking his eyes off the screen for a second. "There could be another tribute nearby." He mutters under his breath. "One who actually got a weapon..."

Matt may be annoyed at Ras for not grabbing a weapon at the Cornucopia, but I can see the truth in his eyes as he stares at the screen, willing his best friend to run faster, to run faster and come home alive.

_~District Seven~_

"Reilly! Reilly, the game's over, you win!" I call, looking around for my cousin. My younger siblings, Maria and Ash are yelling for him beside me. _Where could he be? _

I hear a burst of childlike laughter behind me. I turn around to see my six year old cousin doubled up on the ground, laughing. "There you are! Were you there the whole time?"

Reilly laughs. "Yeah! Best hiding spot ever!"

I laugh and pick him up onto my back. "C'mon bud, let's get home."

He grins. "Okay Zander!"

_~District Eight~_

"Theo! Get back here!" I yell after my younger brother but he just laughs and keeps running. Luke grins at me, before running after him. _Great, now I have to get both of them. Mom and Dad are going to _kill _me._

I chase after my brothers, yelling at them to come back. I lose sight of them as they turn a corner, and swear quietly under my breath. I run around the corner, knowing that they could now be anywhere. Luke's standing at the base of a tree. "There you are! Where's Theo?"

Luke points up at the tree. I look up. Theo's managed to climb almost halfway up the tree. "Theo! Get down from there!"

He grins down at me. "No way! You never know when this could be a useful skill to have!"

_For your sake Theo, I sure hope it's not... _

_~District Eleven~_

Sierra tosses apples down at me. "C'mon Mel, catch them!" she laughs.

I try to catch as many of them as I can in my straw basket. "Careful Sierra, you don't want the Peacekeepers to see you! Throwing the apples could damage the fruit!"

She grins at me. "Yes, but the Peacekeepers aren't watching, are they? C'mon, have a little fun!"

I frown and shake my head. "Doing stuff like this is exactly what got Lychee reaped!"

Sierra sighs, and I can tell she wants to jump down from the tree and put her hand on my shoulder. "Lychee got reaped because she actually _ate _one of the apples on a dare! Throwing the apples isn't enough to get reaped!"

I sigh and hold out the basket again. "Alright... But you better have a good shot!"

She laughs. "No, you'd better be a good catcher!"

**So, happy little glance at some of the 55th tributes pasts. Aurora's is told from her best friend Dove, Matt's from his younger brother Quinn, Reilly's from his cousin Zander, Theo's from his sister Eva, and Sierra's from her best friend Mel. **


	4. Trapped in the endless Sea

I follow the rest of the Careers down the rocky path. Sea's leading the way, ready to slice anyone's throat. The path is so narrow we have to walk one by one. Jade practically clings to the cliff face, peering down at the water below with wide eyes. The lake stretches from a couple of miles below us, all the way to the other side of the arena. The cliff circles it, making us feel truly trapped.

Carmen sighs impatiently. "Jade, you're wearing a flotation device. Even if you fall, you're not going to die."

"But I might hit my head!" Jade retorts. "Besides, it's nicer up here." A cool wind blows past us, making all six of us shiver, and proving Jade's point wrong.

"Hey guys!" Sea points to something a few feet below us, and a few feet in front of us. "Check it out!"

The curly-haired girl from Eight seemed to be taking something off and dropping it in the water.

"Is that.."

"It is..."

Her flotation device. A second later, the girl jumps into the water after it. The rest of the Careers let out yells of protest.

"Eights can't swim!"

"She's trying to drown herself!"

"That's not fair!"

"It's like cheating!"

Sea takes off his backpack, and sticks his knife into his flotation device/belt. "I'm going after her." He dives into the lake, despite the fact that they were so high up.

"GET HER SEA!" the others yell.

He hits the water, and disappears for a few second, before reappearing with the girl from Eight. He pins her against the cliff, and starts to reach for his knife. She appears to kick him though, since he swears and lets go of her for a second. But he recovers quickly, and throws her onto the lowest shelf for climbing the cliff. He climbs up after her, and grips her head.

"I gave you a choice," he says, before snapping her neck.

The rest of the Careers cheer, but I get a slightly queasy feeling in my stomach. That wasn't right. Sea should have just let her drown. She would be dead either way. I mention this to him when he climbs back up to us.

He glares at me, eyes narrowed. "Well, if you like drowning so much, why don't you do it?" And with that, he cuts off my flotation device with his knife. He then grabs me and shoves me off the path with the words "Sweet dreams Cory!"

**Cory did, in fact, drown. :( His district partner Carmen followed him a few minutes later, after yelling at Sea and being pushed off as well. Sea later went on to win the 24th Hunger Games. **


	5. Pale green eyes

**This one's a little confusing and slightly depressing. Any questions, just ask in the reviews! **

The boy's eyes meet mine. Pale green into chocolate brown, just like it was five years ago. Except this time, the chocolate brown eyes hold the advantage. Instead of being frantic and wide, they're narrowed, and aren't as afraid. The fear doesn't show in my eyes. I keep it hidden under the surface. The boy's pale green eyes don't match the pale green eyes from five years ago either. Five years ago, they were focused and calm. Now, they dart around the cavern, looking for a way out, barely concealing his panic.

_But this isn't the same boy. This is just his brother. It makes no difference. This isn't your sister's murderer. He's buried six feet down, just like her. This is just his younger brother, just like you are just her younger brother. It's not right, Ash. It's not revenge. The Capitol already killed one of this boy's family members. Why kill another?_

_ Because they took three of mine. _I tell myself. _And I'm not going to let them take a third by killing me. I'm the only one left. _

The boy gets to his knees, but doesn't lunge across the cavern for his sword. He knows it's too far away, and I'll grab him before he gets there. He fixes his pale green eyes on me. "Go ahead."

I blink, confused. "What..."

He glares at me. "I don't exactly stand a chance at this point. Surrounded on all sides, weapon on the other side of the cavern? I'm not stupid. Just... Make it fast. I've got siblings too. I know you've had them, and I know you know what it's like to watch them die, just like I do. I don't want them to watch another bloody death, so make it fast."

I raise my axe. Then lower it. "Go ahead!" the boy snaps. "Before I change my mind, and decide to make a suicidal move, where I'll probably die anyways!"

I raise my axe again. "Why?"

His pale green eyes ask me if I'm stupid. "The Capitol will send mutts after us if you don't hurry the fuck up! I know you're last of your family, and you think they want to watch another Feren ripped apart?"

Now that just kind of pisses me off. "What's your first name, Brown?"

The pale green eyes switch to confused. "Beckham."

I pull back. "I'm really sorry Beckham."

And my axe swings down.

And light fades from the pale green eyes.


	6. I'm coming for you

**Meet Becca Brown. Yes, Beckham is the same Beckham from last chapter, and Matt's the same Matt from chapter 2. **

Becca has her face pressed to the tree, rain soaking into her hair, and disguising the tears on her face. The rest of us watch her from inside, not entirely sure what to do. June holds my hand, blinking blue eyes up at me. She doesn't even understand what's going on really. She doesn't understand that Matt really is...

Beckham suddenly moves forward, walking out into the rain towards his twin. He wraps his arms around her, and says something quietly. Becca turns and presses her face into his shoulder. Her face is wet, though whether it's mostly tears or rain, I'm not entirely sure. "I want them to die."

Beckham grips her arms tightly. "Not here Bec. I know how you feel, but not here. They'll hear you."

Becca wipes at her eyes. "It's our backyard Beck. It's safer than the streets, isn't it?"

"Yes, but it doesn't mean you can say it safely."

"Why? Cause I'll end up like Matt? They forced him into it Beck. And I want them to die for it."

Beckham looks like he's getting frustrated and worried. His voice lowers so that we can no longer hear him. Eventually he manages to convince Becca to come back inside. What she said was true, but she really shouldn't go around repeating it.

_~Five years later~_

Becca's leaning against the tree again, but this time there's no rain to disguise her tears. There's also no Beckham to go out and calm her down, and none of us know what he did to calm her.

Becca lifts her head from the tree and glares up at the sky. In a voice so dangerous, I can barely believe it's my little sister, she says, "I'm coming for you. Be ready, because I'm coming for you."

A year later, Becca volunteers for, and wins, the 61st Hunger Games.


	7. Good as won

I gather around Zech along with a few other sixteen year old girls. They've nicknamed us the "hopefuls", the ones who pester the older kids to find out if they're good enough to go into the Games. Not that I pester.

Zech, the dark haired nineteen year old girl who considers herself the "best of the graduating class", or, in training talk, "the best non-volunteer who's left the Academy", smirks at us all. "Well, aren't you little hopefuls longing to know if you're good enough or not?"

I force my face to remain expressionless. It'll piss her off, and she's annoying, so why not piss her off? The other girls though, can't make their faces an expressionless mask, and instead look like puppies that are about to piss themselves. Zech's smirk widens. "Well, you were a disappointing batch this year."

The girls' faces fall. They're all old enough that they feel like they might be able to win, but aren't seventeen or eighteen yet, so they would feel weird volunteering without permission from someone who's a good judge. Zech's the closest thing we've got, so we go to her.

"In fact, only one of you is fit to volunteer this year. I expect to see her doing so. She could make a victor."

The other girls look at each other, eyes wide, and make tiny whimpering noises, worried that if it's not them, they're a failure and should just give up now.

"And she is Dana Kild."

The other girls give me envious looks, and I just smirk, giving Zech a small nod and saying that I'll consider it. But later on, after everyone's cleared out, I go behind the Academy and bounce around squealing and fist pumping. I'm finally going to get to volunteer for the Hunger Games.

The Fifty-Fifth Hunger Games are as good as won.

**And that would be Dana. As a side note, don't continue reading this story unless you are prepared for spoilers about who dies in the 55th Hunger Games. Some of them you already know of course, but there are still a few that you won't know let. Anyways, let me know what you thought! **


	8. Blue flames

I head down the hall to my brother's room. He locked himself up there about an hour ago, when they told him the news. I bang on the door. "Theo! Open up!"

Silence. Of course. What else would I expect from my fifteen year old brother? I slam my fists against the door rapidly and repeatedly. "Theodore Williams, open this door right now!"

The use of his full name gets a reaction from him of course. The door swings open to reveal his scowling face, usually so bright and cheerful. "It's Theo. And I'm not exactly a Williams, am I?"

He closes the door again, but it's unlocked now, so I open it and slip into his room, closing it again behind me. "Don't say that."

He sits down on his bed, unmade as always. "It's true. We might as well stop calling me that." He looks away and mutters. "I don't even know what I am..."

I walk over and sit down beside him. "You're my brother, that's what you are. And nothing will ever change that."

He looks back at me. "_Half _brother. It's different."

"It's not. You're still my brother, just as much as Luke is. Just cause Mom decided to whore around and slept with someone besides Dad doesn't change the fact that I will always love you as my full brother. What's stopped me from that before?"

"Wait, did you know all this time?" His eyes are wary, not sure if he's mad at me or not. The same eyes that everyone questioned. Bright blue, not Dad's chocolate brown or Mom's piercing green. His father's eyes probably.

"Yeah, Mom and Dad told me after you were born. The whole "brother who's only partially my brother" thing was a little hard for four year old me to understand, but I kind of got it."

His eyes turn into blue flames, the hottest burning flame of them all. "Why would they tell you, but never bother to tell me until I'm fifteen?!"

I place my hand gently on his shoulder. "Calm down. Maybe they thought you were too young to understand."

He shoves my hand off and stands up, starting to pace his room. "They told you when you were four! Why the hell wouldn't they tell me?! I had a right to know!"

I bite my lip. I have no clue what to tell him. I know why they didn't tell him. It's the same reason they're not letting him take out tesserae until next year, when I'm out of the reaping. It's to protect him. I try and explain this to him.

The flames in his eyes grow. "Don't treat me like a child! I'm fifteen! I've been in factory accidents! I've watched the Hunger Games, I could go into the Hunger Games! I haven't been a child since I was eleven!"

I bite down harder on my lip, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth. "Theo, we're not trying to treat you like a child. We're trying to protect you."

"I don't need protection! I'm not Luke! Not sure if you heard them correctly or not Eva, but _I'm not your brother!"_

I stand up and walk over to him, wrapping my arms around his shaking shoulders and resting my forehead against his. "No. You are. You are my brother, and nothing's going to change that."

**So... yeah. That was a bit longer chapter, hopefully making up for the shorter one last chapter. For those of you who knew Eva and Theo already, did you see that coming? Let me know what you think!**


	9. Able to resist

I watch Holden from my spot, hidden by the branches of the tree. He and Brian are walking home from school, almost at my tree. I hold my breath as they walk under it, watching Holden's golden head and wishing that he would notice me at school sometime. _Why would he do that? He's eighteen, and you're twelve. _

They keep walking, not noticing the Seam girl watching them. As soon as they turn the corner, I jump out of my tree and follow them. Holden leaves Brian at the candy store, like he always does, and continues on to the shoe store by himself. Once there, he perches on the railing of the porch and takes out his homework to start working on it. Same thing as always. There's nothing different from any other day.

"Coral!" Except for that.

I turn around to see Veronica walking towards me. She walks with purpose, like she always does, dark brown hair loose around her shoulders, steel gray eyes focused on me. She doesn't even look any different from any other day, except for one thing. She's here. She doesn't come to the market until later, when she and her stupid friends hang out.

"What were you looking at?" she asks, scanning the marketplace. "Ooo!" I mentally curse Holden for looking even more flawless than usual today. Blonde hair slightly messy, school shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbow revealing his way-too-muscular-to-be-human arms, there's everything there that Veronica could want. And by the look in her eyes, she wants it, and she's going to get it. She smirks down at me. "I'll be right back."

I watch my sister walk over to Holden, swinging her hips as she goes, feeling my heart break. There's no way Holden's going to be able to refuse Veronica. _No one _is able to refuse Veronica. I sit down in the grass, tugging at it. With a bit of luck, she'll be back in about ten minutes to tell me whatever it was that she wanted to tell me. In the meantime though, she'll be all over my year long "school girl" crush, as Rose keeps telling me it is. She says that it means that I'm completely in love with him, but have never actually spoken to him. Which is completely and utterly true. But that year of adoration means nothing, since Holden's probably making out with my sister at this very second.

I roll the pieces of grass that I've ripped up between my fingers, bunching it together. I could always leave, and go to Rose's for advice on what to do when the future father of my children is making out with my sister. But she'd just roll her eyes and tell me that there's absolutely nothing I can or should do, since Holden would never notice me anyways. There is that whole six year age difference thing, after all.

I sigh and let myself fall backwards so I'm lying down. I close my eyes and bask in the sun's warmth for a minute. When I open my eyes again, I find myself staring up at the beautiful blue ones belonging to none other than Holden Duch.

"Hey," he says. God, even his voice is beautiful. I force myself not to stare at him like an idiot.

"H-hi," I squeak. Oh no, that's even worse than staring! If I just stared at him, he would have assumed I was deaf or mute. Now he'll think I'm an idiot!

"Coral, right?" I nod quickly, not willing to try speaking and embarrassing myself even more just yet. "It's a pretty name. I'm Holden."

My heart speeds up. He thinks my name's pretty! He thinks some part of me's pretty! I'm so preoccupied with my inner squealing that I don't stop my voice from saying, "I know."

He raises his eyebrows, so I try to fix my mistake as quickly as I can. "I saw you wrestle once."

He grins. "Man, I'd forgotten I used to wrestle. I haven't done that since I was fourteen. You must have been what? Eight?"

I nod quickly, pressing my lips tightly together so that I don't say anything stupid. In reality, I didn't learn his name through his wrestling, but I knew he used to do it, so I figured it would be a valid excuse.

He flicks my nose lightly with one of my braids. "You're much quieter than your sister."

My heart drops again. He compared me to Veronica. _Everyone _compares me to Veronica. And everyone seems to like her better. Except for the fact that she's rude a lot of the time. But she's outgoing, and _talks. _I tend to be quiet, unless I'm talking to someone I'm comfortable with. Which is usually limited to Rose and my family. It takes me a while to warm up to people. I don't see what's the problem. It's not like I _never _talk. I just don't do it very often. There's a victor who lives in the village that only said about two words in all of his Games. And no one tells _him _to talk more. I talk _way _more than him. I talk _a lot _if I want to. I'm just shy.

Holden's still studying me quietly. Then he says, "I think I like you better though. You don't try to have sex with me. See you around Coral." And with a quick grin, he's gone.

My heart's beating so fast, I think it's about to burst out of my chest. He likes me! He actually really likes me! I scramble to my feet and race off towards the Seam, practically bursting with impatience to tell Rose the news.

**Sadly, both Coral and Holden died a few months later in the 55th Annual Hunger Games. I'll see if I can get a few more chapters up tonight! Hopefully...**


	10. Not the easiest

Hailey and I walk along behind the Careers, sweating harder than all of them combined. The jungle heat combined with the exercise we're getting from carrying the supplies the Careers have decided were mandatory for a two day hunting expedition. There's only about eleven tributes left at this point. The eight of us, the boys from Seven and Nine, and the girl from Eleven. The Careers took us on as pack mules, but also use us for our tracking and plant skills. Hailey's much better at both those things than I am, but they took me on as well. Probably because with me in the pack, it makes one less tribute to hunt down when they feel like killing me. And hunting down tributes in a jungle like this one is awful. Worse than anything I've ever experienced in Five.

Aeneas looks back over his shoulder at us. "Hurry it up you two! We're not letting you live just so that you can run off into the forest when we're not looking!"

As if we could. And if we tried, they'd catch us and kill us. The packs are way too heavy to run with, especially in this heat. I can tell Hailey's thinking the same thing, since she scowls but speeds up anyways. Her dark red hair's starting to fall out of its bun, and the loose strands are sticking to her neck. She still looks beautiful to me though.

I contemplate on this as I walk through the woods. Do I love her? Maybe. Probably. Probably not. To be honest, I have no clue. But do I find her attractive? Absolutely. You would have to be blind not to. Whether I love her as well though, I'm not sure.

The Careers all settle down on logs to take a break. Hailey and I know the routine by now not to be told. We pull the packs off our shoulders and pull out the water bottles. I have four, and Hailey has three. Our own, and either two or three of the Careers'. The only Career who doesn't let their water bottle out of their sight is Remei. The girl from Four keeps hers attached to one of her backpack straps. She's the only one of the Careers who carries supplies as well. The only one who would be able to manage if we left. And I doubt she would stick with the Careers for long if that happened. She doesn't seem to trust any of the alliance very much. It's obvious by the way she looks around constantly, if not by her weapon supply. Three or four knives stuck in her belt, as well as a couple of short, curved swords. Strapped to her back, in a carrier hidden by her pack, is a longer sword, this one of the average length, and completely straight. And coiled around her wrist, is a whip that she can use with extreme accuracy, and that can cause excruciating pain. As crazy as it sounds, Remei's the Career that I trust most. Probably because if we made a break for it, she would run too.

Hailey and I pass out the bottles. Aeneas and Cotton chug theirs, while Bronze, Frey, Sif, and Remei drink slower. Hailey pushes a loose strand of hair out of her eyes. "Oliver and I are going to collect some berries, okay?"

Frey grunts. "Do whatever you want, I don't care."

Sif rolls her eyes. "Shut up Frey." She glares at us. "Five minutes. Then we're coming."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes as I follow Hailey into the woods. "They're terrible guards."

"Yeah, but we won't be escaping 'em soon. Or at least, not when they're awake."

"What?"

"We're escaping. Tonight." She grabs a handful of berries from a nearby bush. "These'll knock 'em out for about an hour. It'll give us time to get far enough away. We slip 'em into their water.'

I grin, This'll be the easiest escape ever.

* * *

It isn't. Hailey and I are running through the woods, Remei chasing us. The rest of the Careers are knocked out like Hailey said they would be. But of course we forgot to put the berries in Remei's water.

I feel the metal whip coil around my ankle. A second later, my face slams into the ground. Hailey stops running, looking back at me. "GO!" I yell. She whispers, so quietly I almost don't hear her, "I'm sorry..." And then she's gone.

Remei flips me over onto my back and sits on my stomach. She slices across my face twice with one of her knives, cutting an 'X' on it. "Oh Oliver," she says with a smirk. "I always hoped I would be the one to kill you."

_Scratch that. I don't like her very much anymore. _And then her knife slits my throat, and I don't think anymore.

**So Oliver Van Der Ven didn't win the 53rd Annual Hunger Games. But Hailey McBreen did. Her final opponent was Remei. **


	11. Learning too young

Matt sits on the floor of the family room, playing with the toy soldiers that Caleb had brought him. His cousin's voice echoes in his head. "I brought some toys for the freak." Matt frowns, reminding himself that Caleb was the freak, not him. Caleb was stupid, whereas he was smart. And his brains didn't make him a freak.

Quinn crawls over and picks up one of the soldiers, examining it carefully. Matt smiles at his younger brother. "They aren't Peacekeepers." The three year old explains. "They were the good guys once."

Quinn doesn't seem to like the good guy, or maybe he likes him too much, because a second later the soldier was going on a mission into the one year old's mouth. Matt grabs his brother's hand and tugs on it, trying to get the spit-covered green man out of his mouth before he swallowed it. "No! It's not food! Bad Quinn! Don't eat it!"

The smaller boy makes a face at his brother and lets go. Matt falls backwards with a thump, wincing as he hits the ground. He may be big for his age, but falls still hurt.

The boys' parents, Brandon and Lydia, walk into the room, talking about the news that Brandon's sister, the boys' Aunt Tessa, had told them.

"I just don't understand why she was having sex in the first place. She's only what? Fourteen? Fifteen?" Brandon was saying.

Matt, his ears picking up on a word he had never heard before, looks up. "What's sex?"

Lydia shrieks, horrified that her son, who she still saw as a baby, had heard that word. Brandon, however, just laughs. "It's not important until you're older, son!"

Matt frowns. "Everything's important."

"This isn't though!" Lydia says, her voice shriller than usual. "Brandon, don't you dare tell him!"

"Come on dear, it's not like he'll understand it!" Brandon replies.

Matt scowls at his father. "I can understand it! I understand lots of things!"

Brandon smiles, his face filled with affection for his eldest son. "I know you do."

Lydia, on the other hand, still looks horrified. She addresses her husband more than her son. "And that's the problem! He understands everything!" She lowers her voice. "Don't you think there's something... _wrong _with him?"

Matt feels the usual hurt fill him. He's gotten used to the feeling. He's called _freak _or _mutt _on an almost daily basis at the child care center, but he's never heard his mother call him that.

Brandon shakes his head at his wife. "You're being silly. He's a perfectly normal child, just a bit more perceptive. I'll tell him what it means. He'll probably forget it in a few years anyways."

Lydia still looks unsure, but he ignores it and kneels down beside Matt. Realizing that her husband wasn't going to be talked out of it anytime soon, she picks up Quinn and walks out of the room, wanting at least one of her sons' minds to remain pure.

Brandon explains the concept of sex to Matt, who mostly just looks disgusted and slightly confused. At the end of his father's explanation, he says "Why would you want to do that? Girls are gross."

Brandon laughs. "By the time you're old enough son, you won't be thinking that any longer."

Matt fixes his father with a very serious gaze. This gaze tended to creep most adults out, since it was so serious, without any of the usual childhood joking. There was a wisdom there too, that seemed to terrify them. As if he knew more than he was letting on, or than he should. "I don't think I'll change my mind."

Brandon ruffled his hair. "Just don't get any girls pregnant before you're out of the reaping, okay?"

Matt smiles, some of the normal three year old light returning to his eyes. "Okay."

The older blonde rises and walks over to the kitchen where Lydia's preparing supper and Quinn's trying to move around in the only pot they own.

Lydia frowns at him. "I still don't think he should be learning this sort of thing..." She watches Matt help Quinn out of the pot, before taking it over to the sink to clean it up. It was moments like this where he looked like a normal toddler, but at the same time, she knew he wasn't.

Brandon chuckles and hugs her from behind. "Why? It's not like he's going to become a pedophile."

Matt looks up from cleaning the pot. "What's a pedophile?"

Lydia shrieks again, and Brandon sighs. It looked like yet another awkward conversation with his three year old son had come. _Might as well get it over with._

"Well, a pedophile is someone who..."

**I had way too much fun writing this chapter. Seriously. Thank you to HogwartsDreamer113 for asking how Matt knew this stuff. I decided to dedicate a chapter to it. Strange what typos can lead to, isn't it?**

** Oh, and I tried out writing in the third person for this chapter. Let me know if you want to see more chapters written like this or not!**


	12. Story stone

Mom and Abbi come into the small room that I've been put in. Abbi's crying, and I kneel down in front of her. "Hey, relax... It's going to be okay, I'm going to come back."

Abbi wipes her eyes hurriedly and nods. "Just try to win, okay?"

I nod and give her a hug- possibly the last one I'll ever give her. "Okay. I'll try."

Mom pulls a stone and a wire out of her pocket. The stone's a pale blue-green, with red-brown lines crossing it in every direction. The wire in her other hand is very fine, and a shining golden colour. I recognize what she's going to do immediately.

Mom works at a factory during the week, but that's not always enough to get us through the month, and Mom wants Abbi and I to have a bit of extra money in case we need it. So to raise this extra money, she makes story stones. People will bring her a stone, or she'll provide one for them, but at an extra fee. The one requirement; it has to be pretty. Then she tells them a story as she wraps the wire around the stone in different patterns. Sometimes it stays really close to the stone, sometimes it gets further away. It all depends on the story that she's telling. Some of the stories are ones that Abbi and I heard in school and thought might be good for a customer. Some of them are old nursery tales that Mom told us before we went to sleep at night. And some of them, the best ones, are the ones that Mom makes up as she goes along, ending unplanned.

She tells one of those now.

"Once, a long time ago and not too long ago, a beautiful princess was born to a king and queen. The king and queen were so pleased with her that they wanted a second one. And a second one was granted to them.

But even though they thought that they had won eternal happiness, they were far from having it. Dark magicians were at work in the shadows, and one day, one of them struck down the king. And the queen was left to rule the kingdom alone, relying on her daughters to help her make the hard decisions. And they did. For another eight years, they lived in relative happiness.

But the dark magicians were still at work, and when the eldest daughter turned seventeen, they kidnapped her away from her mother and sister. But the princess fought so long and so hard and so valiantly against the dark magicians, that one day she was free. And she returned to her mother and her sister, and the three of them lived happily ever after." Mom's crying by the end of the story. Abbi and I hug her.

I inherited my father's height, so I talk into the top of Mom's head. "I promise I'll try to come back. And I promise I'll fight long and hard and valiantly."

Mom wipes away her tears and slips the story stone into my hand. "I know you will."

I look down at the story stone. The wire's wrapped tightly around the stone and then branches out at one area, making a circle of spirals before making a wider loop around half the stone and then wrapping tightly again. It might just be my imagination, but to me it looks like a person hugging a circle. The blue-green colour of the stone makes it look like the Earth. A person hugging the Earth. A person holding onto the Earth. Me holding onto the Earth. Mom wants me to keep holding onto the Earth, and not leave it quite yet.

A Peacekeeper opens the door. "Time's up."

Abbi flings her arms around me again, crying. "Come back, Anna, just please, please, come back!"

I try to reply, but it feels like my throat's blocked up. Mom notices the Peacekeeper's annoyed look and grabs Abbi's arm, pulling her away from me. "We'll see you soon," she promises.

It's not until the door's closed and they're gone, that I think of something to say and manage to say it. "I'm sorry."

I'm just not sure what for yet.

**Anna Parks was the District Three girl in the 55th Hunger Games. She died in twelfth place at the age of seventeen. **


	13. Go down fighting

There's a commotion on the other side of the square, but I'm too tired to look over to see what it is. Every time I close my eyes, the scene replays like a broken record under my eyelids. _Zander, running through the jungle, looking up to see them perched in the trees. The monkeys, ripping and tearing, with their teeth and claws. _

I shake my head, forcing myself to stop thinking about this. Ash and Reilly walk ahead of me, Reilly looking over at the other side of the square. I want to take my cousin's hand and lead him away from the square altogether, but I know that, at the age of ten now, Reilly would hate that. Besides, we're all out of food, and Mom's too upset to buy some, and Dad's been missing since yesterday afternoon. Instead, I just tell him "Don't watch Reils. It has nothing to do with us, and whippings' are never pleasant."

Reilly shakes his head, blue eyes wide. "It looks like there's going to be a hanging."

My legs go wobbly immediately. Hangings are rare in Seven, but they still happen on occasion. I grab Ash's hand. "We're going. Now."

Ash blinks up at me. "I thought we had to get food."

It's hard to make them leave, especially since we haven't eaten for a few days, and the last time we ate, it wasn't much. Ash's brown eyes are framed by too much bone, and not enough flesh. All the baby fat that nine year olds have left over at this point is long gone, stolen by a life of never having enough to eat. "I know, but we're not going to be able to buy anything now, and hangings' aren't good things for kids to watch."

Ash frowns, contemplating this. Eventually he decides that watching whoever it is get their neck strung isn't too appealing, and tightens his hand around mine. "Okay."

I nod. "Good. Where's Reilly?"

We both look around for him. Finally, we spot him, slipping into the crowd of people surrounding the "torture stage" as I've mentally named the platform where public whippings and hangings happen. I run towards the crowd, dragging Ash along behind me, ignoring his questions and protests. "Reilly! Get back here!"

We slip into the crowd, disappearing among the masses. I keep my gaze focussed on the small blonde boy ahead of me. Once we get close enough, I grab his shoulder. "Reilly! Let's _go."_

Reilly looks at me, pleading. "Can we just see who it is? Don't you want to know?"

He's right. In a sick way, I want to know who it is. But I also want to put my mind at rest. Dad stormed off yesterday afternoon, furious, and none of us have seen him since then. I want to be sure that he hasn't done something stupid. "Alright, fine. But we're just staying long enough to see who it is. But no longer than that!"

Reilly nods, and I let go of Ash's hand. As long as we don't move again, I shouldn't lose him.

The Peacekeeper on the torture stage finishes tying up the noose, and makes some sort of signal. Peacekeepers clear a path through us, and the Peacekeeper up on stage unravels a scroll-like piece of paper and reads from it.

"Abdiel Feren, you have been charged with killing a Peacekeeper, an act of rebellion and high treason. Your verdict; guilty. Your sentence; you shall be hung by your neck until you are dead."

The ground spins underneath me, and I almost fall over. _It can't be him, it can't be him. _

I forget about Reilly and Ash. I forget about the crowd around me. I forget about my dead brother, who we buried yesterday, who barely looked like him. I forget about my depressed mother, who sits at home in a state of shock. All I'm focused on is getting to my father, who's roughly being dragged up towards the torture stage. And I start running.

I push through people, knocking some of them over to get through, while others give me looks of sympathy and move aside to let me pass. I feel something coming out of my throat, my lips moving. A second later I realize I'm screaming. And I'm screaming for my father to run.

I reach the edge of the crowd, where a line of Peacekeepers stand to keep us back. I try to get through them, but there's too many of them, and they're too strong. One of them grabs my upper arm, and I act on impulse, my knee shooting up and hitting him in the groin. He doubles up in pain, swearing, and one of the other Peacekeepers punches me in the face, knocking me to the ground.

I start to get to my feet, but the Peacekeeper who punched me grabs me and forces me to the ground, turning my head towards the stage where the noose is being put around my father's neck. He doesn't seem aware of it though. His eyes are focused on me. I close my eyes, not wanting to watch. I feel the barrel of a gun force my eye open, and the Peacekeeper holding me to the ground growls, "Watch."

I want to kick him, or swear at him, or do _anything, _but there's nothing I can do but watch them kick the stool out from under my father's feet, and watch his life end, tears falling from my eyes onto the dirt below.

After it's done, and they've moved the body out of the way, the Peacekeeper holding me forces me to my feet, and, holding my hands behind my back, forces me to walk up to the torture stage. The Peacekeeper on the stage gets his whip out, and I can feel the ball of dread in my stomach growing.

The Peacekeeper behind me spins me around so I'm facing him, and strokes my cheek. A wave of disgust goes through me and I flinch away. He smirks. "You're a pretty one. What's your name?"

"Maria Feren." Telling him this seems like a weakness though, so I add, "Asshole."

The smirk slides off his face and he shoves me at the Peacekeeper with the whip. "Give her an extra five. Ten in total."

I feel tears of fear and anger and sadness rush to my eyes, but I blink them away. I will not go down scared. I will go down fighting.


	14. Six minutes

I stand at the side of the room, watching the other kids spin around happily. I don't really get the point of the dance. We've never had one before, but the school had heard about something like this happening in the Capitol, and decided to try it out. I hadn't bothered inviting a date, despite the fact that for the past couple of years girls have been eyeing me hopefully. Bec and I almost didn't come, but Quinn yelled at us that "You're going and that's final!" He had no trouble convincing May, she loves this stuff, but Becca and I both agreed that it was stupid.

Speak of her and she will appear. Becca appears out of the crowd of bodies, a grin on her face that tells me she's been up to something. It's part of being a twin. "What did you do this time Becs?"

She spins around happily, the white dress she's wearing billowing with her. "I just got my first kiss and it was _amazing!"_

I feel kind of weird. Becca and I were born only a few minutes apart, but we rarely acknowledge that fact. Since then, everything has happened at around the same time for us. We started school together, we learned everything at the same time, we even lost our teeth together! If one of us lost a tooth, the other one would tie string around their loosest tooth and pull it out. And now, it feels like she's running off into the world ahead of me, rushing into a world of swirling romance that neither of us ever felt a desire to be in. But I know I'm supposed to say something, something supportive preferably, so I smile at my older-by-six-minutes sister and say "That's great!"

Bec doesn't seem to hear me though, spinning around and around, out of my world and my reach. The girl who left the house with me earlier tonight, who laughed at any notion of love, is now long gone, and I'm never getting her back. The thought saddens me, and I slip away, into the dance floor, to get away from it.

I reach the opposite side of the room and resume my wall leaning. Treasa Donohoe is leaning against the wall not too far from me. I glance at the clock. It's been three minutes since Becca told me. Which means it's probably been about four or five minutes since she was kissed. _Keep it even._

Treasa isn't that bad looking. Dark hair, blue eyes, fair skin. She's sweet too. A good choice. I walk the few feet over to her. She looks up, surprised to see me. "Hey Beck."

I smile down at her. "Hey Trees."

"You need anything?"

"Nah, I just wanted to tell you something."

"Yeah?"

Six minutes on the dot. "You look real pretty tonight."

And I kiss her.

And I like it.

Would you look at that? Beckham Brown goes to a dance, planning to be bored and walks out of it with a girlfriend.

**Can you see who some of my favourite families and OCs are? :) If you have any you'd like to see, let me know!**


	15. Just a little bit lovesick

I sit down in the alleyway, rubbing my cheek. A bruise is already starting to form on it, and judging by how hard Dad hit me, it'll be there for at least a week and a half. The exhaustion of the evening finally catches up to me, so I lie down and curl up into a ball to go to sleep.

"Hey, are you alright?" I lift my head up. At the end of the alley is a figure, face covered by shadows.

I swallow hard, trying to get rid of the hoarseness in my throat. "Y-yeah..."

The figure comes closer and his features come into the light. _Fuck. Of all the people who could have found me, it had to be him, didn't it?_

Theo kneels down in front of me, the rain soaking his red hair and dripping down his freckled nose. _Why does he always look even more flawless close up? _"What happened to you?"

_Think of a lie, quick, quick!_ "I, um, fell down some stairs..." _*Facepalm* I'm an idiot._

Theo fixes his bright blue eyes on my face. "Did those stairs lead into this alley? I doubt it. How'd you get here? That's what I'm asking."

"Oh, um..."

His gaze travels down my body until it reaches my leg. "Shit! What happened?! And don't you dare tell me that's from falling down the stairs!"

Dad's voice comes back to me, screaming that if I wasn't going to use them for good, he'd remove my man parts. Luckily he missed, but the knife still cut my thigh open. "I, um... It's, uh... Not what it looks like?"

Theo looks back up at my face. "It looks like someone sliced your leg open with a sword!"

Guess the knife got in deeper than I thought. "It's hard to explain..."

"I don't care. Did someone do this to you?!" He sounds angry.

"I-I'm sorry, I d-didn't mean to make you angry..." I stutter.

He must have realised that he's scaring me, since he calms down a bit before talking again. "I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at whoever the hell did this to you."

"I-I can't tell you..."

He frowns, and even though it's completely the wrong time, I find myself staring at his lips. Again. He holds his hands out to me. "Well, if I can't go after them, the least I can do is get you cleaned up. C'mon."

I take his hands. They're soft and warm, and seem to fit perfectly in mine. He pulls me to my feet. My injured leg wobbles and I start to fall over, but Theo catches me before I hit the ground. "Careful there!" He slings my arm over his shoulders. "Lean on me."

I do as he says, and we start walking slowly out of the alley. "What's your name?"

"Gabriel."

"It's nice to meet you Gabriel. Don't worry. I'll look after you." His words fill me with warmth, and I smile. Maybe he's only just noticing me now, but maybe he'll notice me more, and maybe, just maybe, he'll fall in love with me in return.

**In your dreams Gabriel! Whoops, was that a *SPOILER*? Haha, everyone who's reading this probably already knows it! Anyways, Gabriel died in the 56th Annual Hunger Games, one year after Theo died in the 55th Annual Hunger Games, just a few months after the two boys met in an alley. **


	16. New recruits

I spin Robbie around the compartment, yelling happily "Alright Capitol scum, where'd you hide it?"

Robbie giggles with delight. "Capitol Scum" is his new favourite game, and if it were up to him, we would play it all day long. But we only have the next five minutes, before I have to leave to train the new recruits. The prize today is his second shoe, which he's hidden somewhere in the compartment. "I'm not telling you!"

I drop him gently on the bed and say, "We have ways to make you talk!" before tickling him all over. Robbie's giggling intensifies, and he trashes around underneath me. "Stop! Stop!" he gasps. "I'll tell you!"

I laugh and straighten up. "I knew you would cave! Where is it scum?"

His giggles continue, but they're slowing down now. "Under the bed!"

I go down on my hands and knees and crawl under the bed. There it is. Right at the back. I grab it at the same moment as a body jumps on my back and yells "Ambush!"

I pull myself out from under the bed and spin around, trying to see which cousin had jumped on my back. "What?! The Capitol isn't intelligent enough for this!"

The ambusher laughs, and I grin. "Maco! When'd you stop by, buddy?"

"Just now!" The twelve year old hops down from my back. "Will you take me with you to training, Brent? Pleeease?"

"Sorry, but you know the rules." I hand the shoe back to Robbie and Maco sighs.

"No training until you're fourteen," he says. "I know."

I smile. "Hey, only a couple more years, right?"

"Yeah, but the rebellion'll be over by then!"

"With a little luck. And then you won't have to put yourself in danger. And now, I've got to go. See you two later!"

I walk through the hallways until I reach the training rooms, where we first start off the new recruits. Casper's waiting for me outside of it. "You've got about five today."

I nod and head over to the bench where the new recruits wait. The first one is about fourteen or fifteen, a girl with sandy blonde hair, who gives me a flirty smile as soon as she sees me. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Not interested. The second is a boy who looks about a year or two older than her, with dark hair and skin so ashen it almost matches his clothes. I wonder why they didn't just leave him in the hospital wing. The third is a middle aged man who looks over at the first two as if he has to protect them. He will probably die for them. The fourth is a young woman with dark hair pulled into a ponytail, a fierce look on her face. She'll make it through. The last one is a young man who looks around the same age as the woman, but doesn't have the same fierceness. Not sure about him yet. They introduce themselves as Alcippe, Pinchas, Reuben, Allodia and Cyrano.

I just hope I can train them enough that at least a few of them survive this.

**Rebellion chapter! I did say I would write a few of them! Anyways, Brent makes it through the rebellion, as do Alcippe, Allodia and Cyrano. Reuben died as Brent predicted, trying to protect Alcippe and Pinchas. Pinchas also died, killed by a pod in the Capitol. Casper belongs to Kate-The-Great-And-Powerful. **


	17. Let's start a rebellion

Howard and I watch Beetee and the others on screen. I feel loss over Wiress of course. She was a good friend. But she's just one more tribute that I'll have to avenge on top of my brothers.

Ash walks over to us. "It's time."

I look over at Howard. "Ready Jeffy?"

He scowls. "Stop calling me that. It's Howard, Jeff, or Mr. Jeff."

I smirk. "Whatever you say, _Jeffy_."

His scowl doesn't falter. "Let's just get this over with, okay Brown?"

I nod. "Let's do this."

"I'll get you the money from the others," Ash says, before slipping away to talk to the District Four, Six, Eight, Eleven, and Twelve mentors. Six and Eight have already lost both of their tributes, but they still have some leftover sponsor money that they managed to hide from the Capitol.

I keep an eye on Ash while Howard fills out the form for the parachute. He has no trouble talking to Four, Eleven, or Twelve. Six and Eight are his weak spots. I can see the sadness in his eyes as he talks to Hailey, one of the mentors from Six. His brother could have come home instead of her. Eight poses a whole new problem, since Brook and Carissa are under close surveillance by security cameras due to the recent uprisings there. But Ash and Carissa are clever.

"Hey Carissa. Can I see your hand?"

Carissa smiles and holds her fist out to him, spreading out her fingers as soon as Ash takes it. He nods. "Thought so. Your rash is improving." He turns to Brook, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Don't you think so?"

Brook smiles at him. "Yeah, it's definitely improving."

The three of them continue talking, but Howard grabs my arm, distracting me. "Stop watching him. They'll get suspicious. They're suspicious enough already. Besides, aren't you supposed to hate each other?"

I sigh. "That's what I thought too."

Howard shakes his head at me. "You've made a grave mistake, Brown."

Now it's my turn to scowl at him. "It's not my fault! I had no control over it!"

He shakes his head again, this time with an included eye roll and head shake, "You keep telling yourself that."

I clench my fists and am about to respond with a sharp retort when Ash gets back. He slips his hand into mine, and thirteen gold coins transfer from his hand to mine. He pulls away almost instantly. Quietly I murmur, "You're good."

He smiles at me and whispers back. "I have to be. Now send that parachute and then head to your quarters and get ready. We leave tonight."

"And go where?"

"Back home. If we're lucky, we can make it out of the city before they catch us or find out. You know how to disable the cameras?"

I give him my look, the one I give to silently ask people if they're stupid. "_I'm_ the one who taught _you_."

He grins. "Right, I forgot. See you outside of Five?"

I nod. "What are the others doing?"

"Same thing. We're meeting Carissa and Brook outside of Eight. They're getting a couple of people out with them, who would be targeted as soon as the forcefield breaks. One of them's already been targeted. Their kid went missing."

I tense up. "A kid? Who?"

"Leigh Sills. She's thirteen. Daughter of Eva and Owen Sills."

I close my eyes. "Just who I thought. Twenty years later, and they strike again."

"Yeah. Good thing they're fighting back, huh?"

"It's only good if they make it out alive. What are you doing with Payton, Ari, Holly, and," I try not to grimace, "Alexis?"

"I'm sending them to a safe house. Which I'd better get started on. See you in Five."

"See you in Five."

Ash leaves, and I turn back to Howard and say under my breathe. "Alright. Let's start a rebellion."

He grins. "See you on the other side Brown."

And with that, he slides in the paper and money, and presses the button, that would decide all of our fates.

**I just love my victors. Seriously. Anyways, another rebellion chapter!**


	18. Luxor

Friede and Arthur sit beside me on the fence, watching the cattle on the far side of the enclosure. Friede works on trying her rope into a lasso. "Okay Sims, you know the ranch and cattle better than me. Give me the directions."

I glance around the enclosure, trying to figure out the numbers and remember Dad's instructions. "Remember Sima, you have to be exact about this. Too close and you get injured, too far and you miss." But what were the measurements? Maybe the cattle's path will help me. Luxor's getting let out first. He usually circles the enclosure first, before recognizing us and running into reach. But how close is in reach? "How long's the rope?"

Friede looks frustrated. "I told you before we left the barn. Three meters, seven inches."

I close my eyes, trying to focus. How far would that reach? Where should she stand? Dad usually stands towards the center, and then moves around. But how far does he move? "Go to the center and when Arthur opens the gate move five, no, four, no, seven, inches, no, meters, to the left, no, right, and then-"

"SIMA!"

Friede's anger makes me open my eyes. "God, stop being a retard for once! Just tell me what to do!"

"R-right. Um... Go to the center and I'll tell you from there."

She scowls at me before jumping off the fence and heading towards the center of the enclosure. Arthur heads to the pen and lifts the latch. "Ready Friede?" She gives him a curt nod. "Ready Simy?"

"Don't call me Simy." I say on impulse before adding, "And yes. I think."

Arthur grins at me and swings the door open. Luxor runs out and charges around the enclosure before heading towards Friede. "Five- four, four, four meters, no, feet to your left- right!"

"What?!" she yells at me. Luxor charges her, and she dodges him quickly, flinging her lasso, missing him by about a foot, no, a meter, no, what? My head starts to pound, and my brain aches from trying to figure this out.

"T-try and go forward a bit and get him again!"

"How far?!"

"Ten, twelve, three! Meters, n-no feet!"

Friede turns her head and glares at me. "What the heck are you trying to say?!"

"Friede, look out!" Arthur yells. Friede turns her head and screams, just barely getting out of the way in time to not be trampled by Luxor charging at her. She throws again, missing his horns, but he steps through it, and the lasso snags on one of his back legs. Friede doesn't have the chance to let go before she's flung forwards and is dragged across the ground, screaming. Arthur and I just stare at each other, horrified. "What do we do?!" he yells at me.

"I-I don't know! Try to get him to stop?" I respond.

But Luxor's stopping on his own. Friede lies on the ground, moaning, not noticing when Luxor turns around and charges at her. Arthur and I both start running towards them as fast as possible. We get there in time, but still too late. Friede's not dead, but she's badly injured. Arthur manages to calm down Luxor, while I pick up Friede. "It's... It's gonna be okay, Friede. We're gonna get you to the doctor."

* * *

We got Friede to the doctor on time thankfully. He says she's going to be alright. Arthur told him how it happened, and he frowned at me. I didn't need him to tell me it was all my fault. I knew that already. But instead he sent me here. To the school's testing room. They send kids who need to take private tests here. The woman in the room gave me a test that was all a bunch of math questions, and told me that it might help explain some things. She's marking it right now, while I wait outside with Mom and Dad.

The woman comes back out. "Sima Patterson?" I look up. "You have dyscalculia."

"Is that a disease? Am I going to die?"

She smiles and shakes her head. "Of course not dear. It means you have a learning disability, specifically with numbers. You have trouble understanding numbers, or manipulating them in equations or everyday life."

That makes so much more sense. Why I can't remember numbers when people tell them to me, or why they just seem to be a swirl of incomprehensible nonsense. "So what do I do now?"

"Now you will just have to work harder at school, and practise more at home."

I nod. I can do that. I won't let this take over and define me.


	19. Shattered

**The next few chapters of Iron Children will be AU chapters of what the characters would have been like if they had won. They will be depressing(probably) and will mention subjects such as prostitution and self harm among other things. Hence the 'T' rating on this story... Anyways, just a heads up. And now, here's Eva, if Theo had won the 55th Hunger Games, as they happened in At Second Glance(another AU chapter will be if he had won a different way. You'll understand more when I post that one)**

I head upstairs to my brother's room. He got back from the Capitol about an hour ago, and hasn't come out since then. I understand why. I'm the only one he's told. He didn't mention it to Luke, and he sure didn't mention it to Mom or Dad. I don't bother knocking. Instead, I walk straight in. The room's empty, but I can hear running water coming from the bathroom. I test the doorknob. Unlocked. I try not to frown too much as I walk in. He's sitting on the floor of the shower, clothes still completely on, water soaking him to the bone. I try not to flinch at the bruises on his face. No wonder he had his hood up when he came home.

I open the door to the shower and sit down on the floor of the shower, letting the water soak me as well. I wrap my arms around him and pull him into a tight hug, pressing my nose gently in his hair. "It's going to get better, I promise."

He doesn't respond. I try to remember the last time I heard his voice. Not for a while. If he needs to tell us something, he'll write it, or nod or shake his head.

"It may not seem that way now, but it'll get better. I promise." He still doesn't respond. I don't say anything else. For a little while we just sit there, letting the shower soak us. And then I notice something on the inside of his arm.

At first I think it's just his burn mark, before remembering that's on his other arm. I grab his wrist and pull his arm closer. It's a scar. And not just one. A few of them.

I glance up at my brother's face. He's looking at the scars, a strange mixture of boredom and curiosity on his face, as if he didn't remember causing the scars, but they don't interest him. "You did this to yourself?"

He shrugs.

"Why?"

He writes on the fogged up shower door _You know why._

"It wasn't your fault. You only killed three of them."

_But they could have lived._

"Most of them would have died anyways."

He underlines his last sentence. "It's not your fault. It's the Capitol's fault."

His eyes widen. _Don't. Aren't I doing enough already to protect you?_

I feel my heart break inside my chest. "I know. You are. But please, stop blaming yourself."

_If I had been fas- _I grab his wrist before he can finish his word. "No. You did your best."

_But I could have saved him. _"And then what? One of you would have still had to die."

I can see the tears in his eyes as he writes the next sentence. _I would have died then._

I hug him tighter. "Don't say that."

_It's true. I would have died for him. I should have been the one to die. _

I know where he's coming from. And I know how badly the Capitol has shattered his mind, and how broken he feels. I'm the only one that doesn't have to pay to hold him. He flinches away from everyone else. I would rather he was full and complete, I really would. But hearing him say this makes my heart break into a million pieces, and my arms hold him even tighter to me. "I know you would have. But you're here now, and you're safe. Don't you think that's what he would have wanted?"

He presses his face into my shoulder, and I can feel his tears. And for the first time in far too long, I hear his voice, a hoarse whisper, barely an echo of what it used to be. "But I want him here..."

I hug him tightly. "I know you do, Theo. I know you do."

**Sorry for the depressing chapter. I know who's up next(and most of you can probably guess) but feel free to request any characters!**


	20. Nightmares

**From now on the AU chapters will be a bit more spaced out since A) That would be too much depression all at once, and B) I have other chapters I'm DYING to write. For now, enjoy another AU victor! **

_His yells of pain go silent, a cannon blast replacing them. The mutts pinning me down get off and follow the others back into the woods where they came from. I push myself to my feet, trying not to cry out from the pain. I can't help but look over at where his body lies, twisted and mangled from where the mutts ripped at it. The trumpets sound, but they sound distant, as if I'm in a different world from them. I never thought winning would feel this bad. My heart feels like it's being ripped out of my chest. I take a step forward, trying to reach him, but my legs give out underneath me, sending me falling to the ground. The roar of the hovercraft echoes in my ears. _No. No. You're not taking him from me yet. _I try to crawl over to him, the rational part of my brain screaming that _this is stupid, what the hell do you think you can accomplish from this, he's _dead! But I keep crawling, trying desperately to reach him. The dirt begins to seep into my cuts, but I don't care. I can faintly hear the sound of footsteps running over, can barely feel hands trying to pull me to my feet. I react instinctively, my left elbow ramming into one of their stomachs, my right fist slamming into the other one's face. They aren't expecting it. I've been calm throughout the entire Games, not paranoid like most victors would be expected to be. But they don't understand. It was because of _him. _And now that they've killed him, I'm going to go completely insane. _

* * *

I jolt upright in bed, breathing hard. _Not again... _I think. It's been the same dream every night since the Games ended. Where most victors dream of their final fight, I dream of the moments after it, when I realised that I had failed to save him. The mutts should have torn me apart, but instead they got him. I don't even know why I should care so much. He was my ally, but most victors can just shake off the deaths of their allies and district partners. I mean, the Careers do it all the time. Why should it be so different for me?

A sharp tapping at the window causes me to jump. It's followed by a burst of slightly muffled laughter. I look over. Jemma's perched on the branch outside my window. I smile slightly and walk over, opening the window to let her in. She climbs in, keeping the playful grin on until the window's closed, at which point she frowns and says "You had another nightmare, didn't you?" I don't even have to reply. The look on my face tells her everything she needs to know. Her arms are around me in a second. I stiffen automatically and she lets go. "Sorry..." she mutters.

I shake my head. "It's fine. Just..."

"Automatic. I know." She's still staring at her feet, so I try to think of something to cheer her up. My depressed brain can't think of anything. So instead we just sit there in silence for a few minutes before she looks up again. "Get dressed. We're going for a walk." And with that she scrambles out the window again, giving me privacy to change.

Once I'm changed I head outside to meet her. Jemma's leaning against the tree waiting for me. "Where are we going?"

She smiles slightly. "I thought we'd go to the park. What do you think?"

I shrug. She sighs and takes my hand. I glance up in surprise. "You have to try, okay? You'll feel better if you do," she says.

I sigh. "Okay, fine, let's go."

We head off down the path connecting the Victor's Village to the rest of District Three, Jemma still holding my hand. It feels kind of awkward and weird, but at the same time, comforting. When we reach the park we sit down on a bench and she turns to me. "Okay, tell me about it."

I groan. "No... You did _not _drag me all the way down here just to have a therapy session!"

"You have to talk _sometime!"_

I shake my head. "No. I really, _really, _don't."

"You can't just keep it all bottled up inside!"

"Jem, that's what I _do!_ I'm not an emotional person, I'm emotionless!"

"No, you have emotions, I've seen them! In..." she trails off, looking hesitant to continue. I gesture for her to, wanting to know what she meant. She sighs before starting again.

"Don't get mad okay? But I think you might've loved him." I stiffen and she raises her eyes to look at me. "I'm sorry, but... You really seemed to care about him, and-"

I stand up. "Don't. Just don't."

I start to walk away. "Matt! Come back! I didn't mean to make you mad!" Jemma calls after me, but I ignore her.

I don't want to have to admit she's right.


	21. Abandonned

A hand shaking my shoulder wakes me up. I open my eyes and can just make out the shape of Mom. "M-Mom?" I mumble sleepily. "W-What's wrong?"

"Shh, Liam! Get dressed quickly and quietly, okay? I'm going to go wake your brother." With that she's slipping back out of my room again.

I scramble out of my bed and pull on pants and a T-shirt, socks and my shoes. I glance out the window. It still completely dark. Dark=cold. I'll need a sweatshirt too. I grab my overly large, red one and pull it on as I stumble down the hallway to Linus' room.

Mom's tying his shoes for him when I come in. My three year old brother still looks half asleep, blonde hair sticking up in every direction. Mom looks relieved to see I'm dressed. "Good. Go downstairs, your father is waiting. We'll be down soon."

I stumble back down the hallway and down the stairs, holding onto the railing to keep myself from falling as I rub the sleep from my eyes. Dad standing by the door where two backpacks are lying on the ground. "What're those for? Are we going on an adventure?" Hope fills my chest as I remember the field Mom and Dad took us last year. "Are we going camping again?"

Dad smiles at me, but something looks funny about his smile. "No Liam, we're not going camping, but we _are_ going on an adventure."

I grin. "I like adventures."

"I know you do," he says quietly.

Mom comes down the stairs with Linus staggering behind, gripping her hand tightly with one hand while he rubs his eyes with the other one. "Where we going Daddy?"

Dad picks him up. "Somewhere far away, but we need you to be very quiet, okay? Pretend you have to get past the dragon," he says, making reference to one of his favourite games, where I'm a dragon that he has to sneak past.

He seems to like this idea, so Dad puts him back on the ground again for a minute to pull on one of the backpacks. Mom pulls on the other one, and I take Li's hand. Mom takes my other one, and then we head out the door, Dad locking it behind us.

We walk through the streets of District Six for a while, staying quiet. Before long Linus is leaning heavily against me, the long walk added to his lack of sleep making him exhausted. Mom keeps glancing back at us to make sure that we're still there. I start to ask where we're going but Dad shushes me, reminding me that we have to stay quiet. He doesn't say why though.

Linus goes tumbling forward suddenly, pulling me down with him. The gravel scrapes my hand and I try not to whimper from the pain. Linus, on the other hand, looks at me with his huge brown eyes watering. I pull him into a hug. "Don't worry kiddo, it's just a scratch."

He nods, sniffling, and I help him back up again. Mom and Dad are standing a little further down the street, frowning. When we've stumbled back to them Dad asks what happens. "Linus fell asleep and fell down," I explain.

Dad nods. "Try to stay awake from now on though, okay buddy?" He tells him. Linus nods, but his eyes are so blurry I doubt he understood.

We walk for at least another twenty minutes before Mom and Dad turn into a driveway. I follow them up it, practically carrying my brother. He's so tired that his feet are barely even moving. I don't know what could be so important, but it was really irresponsible of Mom and Dad to bring us halfway across town in the middle of the night, especially with a three year old. I catch a glimpse of a sign of the front lawn, the light from the moon giving me just enough light to make out the words. _Miss Mungey's Home For Orphaned Children. _I frown. Maybe we're getting another sibling? But...

Mom sits me down on the front steps. "Stay here, okay?"

Linus sits down beside me, resting his head on my shoulder, falling asleep in seconds. "Where are you going? Mom, what's going on?"

Her eyes are filling with tears. "Look after your brother, okay Liam?"

She steps back and goes over to where Dad's waiting at the bottom of the driveway. "Mom! Come back! What's going on? Mom!"

She doesn't answer. Dad doesn't either. Instead they start walking down the street again, in the opposite direction of our house. I watch them until they're out of sight.

**William Shatern never let anyone call him Liam again after that. He and Linus grew up at the orphanage, until they were reaped for the 55th and 56th Hunger Games, neither of them returning home. William was only ten when they were abandoned.**

** If you guys would like to see more of what happened with this story(William and Linus, that is) let me know! I have some stuff with their parents that I could do as well. Because he never does say what happens to them... **


	22. Partners In Crime

**Here's another two parter. The second part of the last chapter will be coming soon. **

I'm woken up by Caverly shaking my shoulder. Hard. I can practically feel my brain rattling around in my skull. At least it's the good shoulder. I swat at him. "Let me sleep..." I moan. "My shoulder's still healing..."

"Yeah, I know, but Paylor's got a mission for us," his voice is apologetic at least. But I doubt the kid could be anything less.

Okay, so I shouldn't be calling a thirty-two year old a kid. Whatever. He is to me, alright? And I'm protecting him with my life, especially since he's not supposed to be here. He's supposed to be in Six. But once the rebels got control of all of Six, he came with a few other soldiers to help us out. Lucky bastards could have just stopped then. I mean, all of us here in Eight are dying to be done. Literally. Half of us are dying, hence why I'm now being sent out on a mission injured.

I lift up the metal sheet covering one of the windows and am relieved when it's not burning hot. I'm not so relieved when I look outside and realise the reason that is is that the sun is _not even over the horizon yet. _I glare at Caverly. "Not only is she dragging me out of here when I'm injured, it's barely even dawn?"

He gives me an apologetic smile. "It's supposed to rain later as well."

I give him a good line of all the swear words you pick up in jail. He just laughs. "Relax, Eckles. We shouldn't even be in battle, she just needs us to move people."

I groan. "If you're gonna drag my injured ass out of bed before dawn, you could at least let me kill a few Peacekeepers."

He grins. "At least it's a cute ass."

I swat the back of his head. He laughs. "C'mon, she said the kids would be waiting near the back door."

I follow him over to the back door where three kids are waiting. The oldest is a girl who looks around thirteen, with curly brown hair and brown eyes. I easily recognize her as Leigh Sills, Eva's daughter. The second is a blond boy with brown eyes. He looks around ten and has a bow and quiver of arrows on his back. The last is another girl with red pigtails and green eyes who looks around seven. I have no idea who the younger two could be.

The boy proudly introduces himself as Alec Calliston while the girl just says her name is Cam and asks when we're leaving. Caverly lifts her onto his shoulders. "Right now."

She laughs and holds onto his hair. It's too bad he never found someone to have- sorry, adopt- children with. He would have been a great father. Maybe after the rebellion, though. If he survives. Which he will. I'll be making sure of that, thank you very much.

"C'mon, let's go while it's still quiet. I'd rather not watch three kids get shot." I lead them outside and down a few side streets, trying to keep to rebel territory as much as possible. Running into Peacekeepers when it's just Caverly and I; great. Running into Peacekeepers when it's three kids as well as Caverly and I; not so great.

Caverly sets Cam down after a few blocks and walks beside me. Quietly, he says "We have to take them through the Capitol streets."

I stare at him. "You're kidding me, right?"

"I wish I were."

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. "So Paylor sends out _two _soldiers, one of which is _injured, _to bring three kids through neighbourhoods the Capitol _still _has control over? Has she lost all her common sense?"

"No, I think she's just running out of soldiers."

"We're going to get killed," I sigh again.

"Have a little faith. You're the best shot in Eight, even injured, and I'm... Well, let's just say I'm me."

"And you being you isn't supposed to send me running in terror?" I tease. Teasing him has been one of my favourite things to do in the past couple of months since Six was won over. He's like a strange mixture of my little brother and my best friend.

Caverly smacks my arm lightly. "Shut up. I just mean we're not doomed, that's all."

"Yeah, I hope so."

* * *

We are. Barely an hour later, Caverly and I are crouched behind garbage cans on opposite sides of the street, a group of Peacekeepers firing shot after shot at us. The kids have already run away- we told them to, but didn't follow because that would have resulted in a case that would have lead the Peacekeepers right to the door of one of our hideouts. This way, Caverly and I can hold them off while the kids get away, and then once all the Peacekeepers are dead, we follow. If we haven't died already.

We're doing pretty well though. I mean, there's almost no Peacekeepers left.

Out of the corner of my eye I spot Caverly suddenly slump to the ground. I duck down beneath the garbage cans and stare across the street at him. His eyes are closed, none of the brown iris visible. There's a pool of blood forming underneath him, mostly under his chest.

_No, no, anywhere but the chest. Anywhere but the chest and he could still be alive._

The sound of bullets hitting the garbage cans at my back continues and I feel a piercing pain as a bullet hits my side through a crack between two cans. _It's not over yet._

I turn around and point my gun over the cans at the Peacekeepers. Five presses of the trigger later and they're dead. I check up and down the street for more before running across the street and kneeling down beside my friend. I desperately check his pulse, trying to control my own.

"C'mon Arrow, don't be dead. Just don't be dead. Please!"


End file.
